


draw the blade, hero.

by sourmoose



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Gen, I have not played a single damn zelda game apart from botw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:02:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27934300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sourmoose/pseuds/sourmoose
Summary: he tries three times to get the master sword.
Kudos: 5





	draw the blade, hero.

The first time he had found the sword again he died almost immediately. The grip felt perfect in his hands, and the sword slid free, just an inch and then-

- _everyboneinhisbodyburnedwhitevaporisedbloodintonothingFiimsorryFiimsosorry-_

He had come to hours later. The Koroks had wreathed his body in white flowers, luminous and beautiful. They were cool to his touch, but he brushed them away. They were unimportant. He wanted to try again; the Great Deku had only _laughed._

“ **No more, Hylian Champion. Hero. You do not know why you fight** _.”_

What was that supposed to mean? He was the Hero of Hyrule. He was the Hero of-

-TIME. He had lost, and so to make it right they had SENT HIM BACK and it had hurt, _Hylia how it had hurt,_ and he won and he was the Hero of-

-SPIRITS. Hurtling over the landscape, the mechanical beast under him churning, pistons pumping, as her spirit stayed by his side, guiding, helping him. Cool, ethereal hands that cupped his cheeks, tousled his hair with calm-

-WINDS. Setting sail from an island, leaving behind all he ever knew to find his sister. A city beneath. A bottomless sea, as unending as the-

-SKY. Slay Evil. Slay Evil in a land of clouds. Defeat Demise. Steel yourself. Grasp hold of the-

-SWORDS. Cut yourself into four. There is STRENGTH IN NUMBERS. yOU WILL NOT DIE. The soul and legend of the hero will-

-LEGEND. Extinguish the Flame of Sorrow. Do not let them win. That flame will PLUNGE that land into-

-TWILIGHT. Bare Your Fangs. Fight. You may change, but do not falter. The wild will only strengthen-

-STRENGTH. Defeat the Gerudo without a faCe-

-FACES. A village where A MONSTROUS MOON crashed down on him, time and time again. Masks that rooted themselves into skulls. Frigid nights-

-NIGHT. Steal into the castle. Reclaim the Power. Reunite Divinity-

-SLAY-

-OVERCOME-

-CONTINUE-

-FIGHT-

-STAND-

He had keeled over, and Hestu rattled a soothing tune as he vomited his stomach out and his brain tore itself into scraps of the people he was. The Deku Tree hummed, an enormous baritone that filled the forest and blocked out the screeching memories.

-x-

When he awoke, clearing ichor and machine gel from his eyes, he knew…things. He knew how to wield a sword. He knew how to draw bows, clean wounds, hunt wolves, hunt _like_ wolves, how to start a campfire. He knew he wanted to beat the Old Man to a pulp, the same way he knew he should bow to him, the way you did to those in high esteem. He knew he had to listen to the Old Man, or he would never get anywhere.

He knew how to dive into water from any height, the way Zora did. But he was not sure what they looked like. He knew how to break a fall the way Rito children had to learn how to do, and that the best way to endure cold weather was with Rito down. But he also did not know how Rito looked like exactly. The images in his head kept shifting. Were they truly avian? Were they Hylian with beaks? What about the Zora? Were they simply Hylians with gills?

When the first Spirit Orb permeated his being, it was a bolt of lightning. His name was Link. He held a sword when he was three, and had shattered it against the chest plate of a knight, putting him on his back. When he was four, his father had brought him to-

Damn. What was the rest?

-x-

All four shrines, the old man said, eyes twinkling under the hood.

Good, Link thought, and left him without a word. The voices in his head were all his and all weren’t, and one of them was telling him to do horrible things to the old man. Some were telling him to bow to him, to afford him respect. Link decided silence was the better part of courtesy.

-x-

The second orb.

When he was four, he jumped into a river at the Lanayru Region, because he saw a Zora child do the same. His father, a knight on a diplomatic mission, had cursed and laughed in equal measure. Her name was. Her name was. HER NAME WAS-

-x-

The third orb. His favourite food was meat with curry. He couldn’t remember the recipe. His father was a terrible cook. His mother had died in childbirth. The Zora’s name was Mipha.

-x-

When he left the Great Plateau, he remembered enough to know he had been dreaming for one hundred years. And he remembered enough to miss the weight of ancient magic steel against his back. The rest was a cacophony in his head.


End file.
